zap! ; joshler

linnea

tw: homophobic slurs again :((

joshua sighed as he walked into school, immediately being met with the sight of tyler surrounded by his group of friends as they stod in front of his locker. he was torn, unsure of what to do, but as he made eye contact with the helpless boy he couldn't help himself from doing something to help him.

"good morning brendon," joshua greeted his friend, breaking up the small circle of people that were staring at tyler like he was prey.

"what do you fucking want, joshua? can't you see we're busy here?" brendon scoffed pushing joshua aside as he backed tyler into a locker, gripping the collar of his shirt in his fists.

joshua never liked when brendon got physical with people, but it hurt more when it was the boy who was prying his way into his heart despite how hard joshua tried to prevent it. he just cared for tyler, because he had a sense of humanity unlike his friends.

"fucking faggot," brendon spat as he shoved tyler against the cold metal, the loud banging sound of his body colliding with the locker echoing through the mostly empty hallway.

"p-please st-st-stop," tyler cried, choking out sobs as he tried to escape the tight grip he was held in.

"a faggot like you deserves every last minute of this," the raven haired boy sneered, finally letting go of the small brunette as he let his body go limp on the dirty floor, curling up into a ball to protect himself from the kicks he was expecting to receive. the kicks never came and he just heard a few people stomping away, clenching his eyes shut as he refused to look to see if anyone else was there. the first bell had just rung and he wasn't expecting to see joshua crouched onto the ground beside him, looking hesitant about what he should do. tyler flinched away when josh reached out a hand to assist him in sitting up, fearful that he, too, was going to hurt him.

"it's okay, ty," joshua soothed, too worried to notice the nickname that he had spoken. "i'm not gonna hurt you."

tyler warily nodded and accepted the help, grasping joshua's hand and tugging himself into a sitting position. joshua couldn't describe the way his skin felt when it came in contact with tyler's. it felt like a mixture of burning and pins and needles and he found himself not wanting to let go. but with a clear if his throat he did just that, bringing his hand to himself and wiping his clammy palm against his jeans.

"you're bleeding," joshua whispered, tilting tyler's head up towards his own as he observed the small cut above his eyebrow.

"i-i'm f-fine," tyler mumbled as he swiped a finger across the wound, observing the light layer of crimson that coated his skin. he felt queasy at the sight, never being someone who tolerated blood very well.

"you don't look too hot. want me to help you to the nurse?"

tyler nodded and once again joshua helped him to his feet, their fingers laced tightly together so the younger of the two could maintain his balance. or at least that's what they believed.

if tyler was honest, he could walk just fine. sure, he felt a bit light headed and nauseous, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. he really just wanted an excuse to hold joshua's hand.

"i'm so sorry about brendon, he's a real asshole," josh chuckled, looking at the shorter boy next to him with a gloomy smile on his face.

"th-thank y-you f-f-for h-helping me-me," tyler replied, cheeks furiously turning pink under the dark freckles that coated them.

"of course, that's what," joshua swallowed hard, "boyfriends are for."

he hated how the word felt coming off of his tongue. it felt wrong and dirty and disgusting but so fucking right at the same time.

joshua pushed the door to the nurses office open, holding it for tyler as he entered the room with a small wave to the woman who sat at the desk.

"oh, you poor thing," she cooed, rushing over to tyler and grabbing his face to examine any damage done. "did you know who do this to you?"

the boy solemnly nodded and the woman let out an exasperated sigh, grabbing disinfectant wash and a bandage. she cleaned out the wound, tyler's grip on joshua's hand tightening because it stung slightly. she then covered it up with a small bandaid, giving joshua dirty looks the whole time.

tyler decided he would stay and rest for a while, meaning joshua could go back to class no matter how much he wished he could stay to make sure tyler was okay.

"feel better," he whispered, letting go of tyler's hand as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and grabbed the late note the nurse had written for him since he would be late to class.

"b-b-bye, jo-joshua," tyler called out, grinning brightly, his braces reflecting off of the light above and making his face appear even more radiant than it naturally was

joshua went back to class with hundreds of questions swarming around his mind. he definitely didn't like tyler, that would be absurd. he just cared for the cute boy. that was it.

nothing more, nothing less.